Ok here's the start of Scorpius's sixth year! He's grown up so fast. Please enjoy this chapter! I plan big things for this year, and I can't wait to show you all what I mean by that! :)

Scorpius thanked the attendant as she hoisted his trunk up above to the rack hanging overhead. He couldn't believe he still needed help—at least his first year, he had a viable excuse. This time it was all his own fault. He was still too tiny. Scorpius slipped into the cabin and took a seat by the window, gazing out at the train station. He saw his mother clinging to his father, who was holding her as close as possible. He saw his Aunt Daphne and Uncle Theo making Constantine wave from beside them. He felt himself smile a little. The summer had been exhausting—sure, he was glad to be home, but constantly trying to put on a happy face and act like everything was ok completely drained him. He leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes.

Within a few minutes, the compartment door opened with a bang. Scorpius's eyes shot awake as he saw his friends clamoring in to all fit into one space with him. "All by yourself in here? You should've come to find us!" Albus roared in laughter. Scorpius gave a slight smile. "I didn't want to intrude," he politely answered. Truthfully, he stepped into the first compartment he could because he was so incredibly weak. But he wasn't about to let that slip. "You couldn't have! But now that we're all here, let's take a moment to appreciate the stunningly humorous haircuts Lorcan and Lysander are sporting due to their mother's heavy hand with the scissors!" Albus led them all in laughter. The twins blushed in embarrassment, but they went right along with the joke—it wasn't their fault their mother enjoyed experimenting with her cosmetic side. Rose bounced to the seat directly across from Scorpius. She focused intently on his face, her expression becoming serious almost instantly. "You know what I'm going to ask you about." she said lowly.

"Indeed I do." Scorpius answered.

"So…?"

"You tell me what you got first."

"I got straight Outstandings. In everything. Well…except for in Care of Magical Creatures…that one was an Exceeds Expectations. Now spill."

"…You're going to hate me."

"Will I?"

"Yes…"

"Try me."

"…I did get straight Outstandings. In everything. Every subject. Even in Care of Magical Creatures."

Rose slammed her hands against her kneecaps in frustration. "HOW?! How did you get all perfect scores?! Especially in Defense Against the Dark Arts?" she raged. Scorpius was suddenly rather wounded by that last comment. It was bad enough she was making him feel a little embarrassed about beating her, but the last bit pushed just a smidge too far. "Just because my father reversed everything he learned in the Dark Arts lessons in the past doesn't mean that I can't do better in them for what they are." he snapped. James felt the tension in the air, so he gently put a hand on Scorpius's shoulder. Rose blushed instantly. "N-No…I didn't mean it like that….I…I'm sorry, Scorpius. I just get too competitive…it gets to my head…." she answered humbly. Scorpius hated himself for snapping at her. But the constant hunger pains and the lack of sleep only contributed to his irritability. Lily glanced around at everyone, desperate to change the subject into something they all could enjoy. "Want to hear a joke?" she asked aloud. They all turned their attention to her. "Albus's OWL scores." she concluded. Lorcan and Lysander high-fived her comedic execution. Albus blushed madly. "They weren't that bad….Dad said they were acceptable…" he offered weakly.

"Tell Scorpius what you got!" Lily taunted.

"Why?"

"Because it's conversation. Do it or I will."

"Ugh, I hate you Lily! I got three Acceptables and one Exceeds Expectations."

"Aaaaaaaaaaaand…?"

"…And a Dreadful in Potions."

Scorpius's eyes widened. "You did?" he asked aloud, realizing that probably sounded highly pompous. Albus didn't seem to care though, as he kept picking at his robe distractedly. Lily roared with laughter at her brother's misfortune. He elbowed her in the ribs. "Can it, slugbrain!" he shouted. James sighed at the bickering, turning his attention to his little blonde friend. "So how was your summer?" he asked politely.

"Oh, it was nice. Thank you. How was yours?"

"Ours was good. How's mum and dad?"

"When I arrived at home, my mother was in St. Mungo's. But she only stayed there for a week after I saw her this time, so it wasn't too bad. Father and I visited her every day."

"Why was she in St. Mungo's?"

"Her curse began acting up. It was my fault—and Father's too. We were fighting and it was just literally tearing her apart. But don't worry, we've talked everything over, we're fine now, and she was released and is doing better every day. She's still quite weak."

"And how are you?"

"…W-What do you mean?"

"The last time I saw you was before your OWLs; let's just say you looked quite far from well."

"Oh…that was just stress."

"Did all of your hair grow back?"

"H-How did you know…I lost…my…"

"You could see it, Scorpius. You weighed like nothing and most of your hair was thinning. Not to mention you had a book in your hand every time I saw you. I think the stress of exams really hit you hard."

"Y-Yeah…that's right…"

Scorpius really didn't know what to say after that. Sure, the stress on him was completely awful—but he looked so sickly chiefly due to the fact that he had degenerated back to starving himself, and it caused a multitude of problems for him over the summer. The room suddenly felt very crowded…very stuffy… "Hey, are you alright?" Hugo asked worriedly, catching on immediately. Scorpius nodded. "Yeah…hey, would any of you mind if I spoke to Albus? Alone?" he nervously responded. He could feel his hands shaking. They all rose to their feet, promising Scorpius they'd be back soon. "I've got Prefect duty anyway that I should get to." Rose said. Lorcan and Lysander looked at each other. "We'll go jump the sweets trolley." they simultaneously agreed. "Lily, bring us back a chocolate frog each!" Albus called to his younger sister as she skipped away to follow the mischievous twins.

The moment the car door slid closed, Albus took a seat in front of Scorpius, bending forward so his elbows rested on his knees. "Is everything alright?" he asked softly. Scorpius shook his head. He knew he had to say something to his friend—he had to admit it. It'd been too long and sooner or later they'd all catch on. And what if they decided he was too disloyal to be friends with? "Are things ok with you and Chrissy?" Albus tried, frowning with worry. "No, no. She and I are fine." Scorpius replied hastily.

"I just thought since she wasn't sitting with you…"

"Actually, she was named a Slytherin Prefect, so she's been doing her duties. She promised to stop by later though."

"Good, I was afraid I'd have to chase Lily down and tell her to buy you ten chocolate frogs to help you get over her!"

"…Actually, that's sort of what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Really?...Is it something I said? Did I make you uncomfortable?"

"No, not at all. I just…right, when I told James that my mother went to St. Mungo's for a week this summer…I lied. It wasn't my mother that had to go and stay. It was me."

"You? Scorpius, what happened? Are you alright now?"

"I'm doing better, but not perfect."

"Did you try to…"

"In a way…"

"Again?"

"I'm sorry, Albus. I'm really sorry. I thought I wouldn't ever try it anymore, but I did—three years after I attempted it I sunk right back down into my pit of depression. I feel terrible. And I feel horrified at myself for not telling you."

"…No, don't be mad at yourself. It's ok. I'm glad you're here now. I'm glad I can hug you like this. I'm glad you're going to have me to look out for you."

"Father and I worked everything out though,"

"That's good. May I ask…may I ask how you…tried to do it?"

"…And that's the bigger part. Albus, I'm sick. I haven't been fully well since…well, a really long time. Years, I mean. I…I have…I-I have an eating disorder."

Albus sat there, frozen in his seat. He didn't take his eyes off of Scorpius once. The blonde was on the verge of tears—this was so hard to admit to his friend after keeping it from him for so long. He figured Albus would hate him now. It took a long time before Albus leaned back in his seat and folded his arms, letting out a deep breath. "W-Why?" he sighed.

"I don't know…first I started to punish myself for making my parents so ill at the beginning of our time at Hogwarts. Then…I couldn't let it go. Everything bad that happened deserved punishment. I got a little better, but then I slipped again. It's related to my depression. I-I can't help it…"

"…Who knows?"

"Chrissy knows. I had to tell her before we…well, you know…before she saw me without a shirt. I'm disgusting, Albus. I hate that I'm the one that is taking so long for us to move forward with things because I'm too self-conscious."

"Anyone else?"

"W-Well, my parents know…obviously. Mother cries all the time when I throw up. Father I can just tell is hurting. He hates to see me like this. And…er…Joseph Zabini knows. Remember that time at the Yule Ball that I got all those House points deducted because I tried to hex him in the bathroom? He found me throwing up. He said he knew. So…..just please don't be mad at me. It's so hard…telling people. It's so hard living with. I just wish—"

But he was cut off by Albus lunging forward and pulling his frail body into a tight hug. Not just a hug—an embrace. A loving, caring, gentle embrace. He was crying. "A-Albus?" Scorpius nervously asked.

"I'm sorry," the Potter boy gasped out.

"What are you sorry for?"

"For missing all the signs! I figured something was up with you when you skipped breakfast, and would purposefully miss meals, but I n-never attributed it to anything like that! I didn't see it….I could've stopped you…."

"Nothing could've stopped me. I did this to myself."

"No…I could've helped you. I could've comforted you…"

"You did everything you possibly could—right down to all the letters you and Chrissy organized. Believe me, if you hadn't done that…I probably would've killed myself. That night I hadn't eaten anything for nearly two days. I figured I'd go one more of just lying in bed and die there before anyone found out. I swear. You did save me."

Albus pulled away and took Scorpius's thin face in his hands. "No…we're going to fix this. We're going to do this together. I'm terrified for you."

"I have to do it alone. It's a psychological sickness—nothing can cure it simply. Just seeing that I'm loved isn't going to make my stomach hold down a chocolate frog. It's automatic that I throw up. I have to fix it myself, Albus. I'm sorry."

"Well I'll be there to support you every step of the way. Whenever you need me, I'll be right there—I promise. I promise, Scorpius. I'm not going to leave you."

"Albus, I know. I just…I had to be honest with you. I hated hiding it from you, and I knew telling you would only hurt you more. I had to do it. I'm sorry."

"Please don't be sorry. Just let me in. I'm going to be here every step of the way. Please, Scorpius. You're my best friend. I love you."

Scorpius smiled at his friend's tearstained face. "I love you too." he whispered. The two hugged again warmly, but Albus held on a little bit longer. It was true—Scorpius was attempting at getting better, but that whole time before exams had completely drained him and he weighed far less than he should have. It was very, very difficult. After the two broke apart, Albus sat back in his seat and rubbed the tears out of his reddened eyes. "S-So have you given a second chance at Quidditch a thought?" he asked his friend. Scorpius shrugged. "I told myself that I'd play again before I left Hogwarts. But I don't know if I'll be able to this year with…my health." he replied. Lily swung the compartment door open and jumped inside, immediately ducking under the window and panting wildly. "The trolley lady caught us." she explained breathlessly. "Lorcan and Lysander are still on the run. They told me to hide before James skinned me." Albus smiled at his sister. As she kept peeking out the window to see if the woman was following her, Albus touched Scorpius's hand. "Let's make a small goal—let's have you gain ten pounds before Quidditch tryouts." he planned.

"It's going to take a lot more than ten pounds to get me up to a healthy weight…" Scorpius uneasily replied.

"Ten pounds plus muscle. That way you can still qualify, but you could also be on the mend. Deal?"

"I hope."

"Shake on it."

"Albus, this isn't something I can just decide to fix. My body has to actually teach itself how to eat normally again."

"I know. But can you promise me you'll try?"

"…I promise I'll try."

They shook hands, sharing a smile. Albus broke the tender moment by looking over at his crouching sister. "I hope that after all that grand escape you managed to grab what I asked you for." he ordered. The girl tossed two chocolate frogs back behind her towards them, her eyes glued to the hallway window. Albus tore the wrapper off of his, immediately biting into the sugary sweet. Scorpius, however, went back into defensive hiding mode. He pulled the wrapper off, folded it again, smoothed it out, looked at his Chocolate Frog card…anything but take a bite out of the thing. Albus reach over and picked it up. He broke it in half, then in half again, then used his wand to divide the quarter-piece into neat little slices. "Just eat that part." he asked his friend quietly. Scorpius picked up one of the tiny slices—it wasn't that big. Besides, it was really only a quarter of the actual Frog. It wouldn't make him that sick, right? He took a bite of the slice. "Thank you," he murmured to Albus who smiled in return.

Suddenly the door burst open yet again. Lily let out a shriek and covered her face with her hands….but it was only Chrissy coming to sit with Scorpius. She looked down at the cowering third-year with wide eyes, glancing up at the boys for an explanation. "She's just a bloody little thief who can't live with her own deeds. Come in and sit down." Albus said with a wave of his hand. Chrissy grinned, taking a seat beside Scorpius. He kissed her cheek. The two intertwined hands and Chrissy leaned to rest her head on his shoulder. As everyone talked and laughed a bit more, Albus realized that she was moving her hand slowly up and down Scorpius's chest. Every time she did it, her smile lost enthusiasm. Nobody else probably would've noticed it, but because of what Albus had just learned, he figured that she was noticing that she could feel Scorpius's ribs beneath his robes. She was frightened.

And even though Scorpius ate that quarter of the Chocolate Frog and laughed like everyone else, Albus admitted to himself that he was scared for his friend too.