AlbusScorpius

LoveHate Relationship

A/N: THE END IS NIGH!

Zzz

Albus dreaded the next day. From the moment Madam Pomfrey escorted his family out of the medical wing, he knew he was going to have a rough day. The look on his brother's face once Lily repeated Scorpius' confession was enough to say a thousand words, and none of them were nice. He had hoped when it came down to it, his brother wouldn't care. The boy had always been open minded, had always encouraged Teddy with his work with werewolves, had always stood up for Remus Lupin when needed, despite never knowing the man. If James believed it was a just cause, he would be behind it one hundred percent. But the look in his eyes said it all. He did not approve of Scorpius Malfoy being a werewolf. He did not approve of Albus dating a werewolf. Then again, James had never approved of their relationship, and had probably been waiting for an excuse to declare it as failed from the beginning.

He wasn't looking forward to the inevitable conversation though, no matter how much he knew it was going to happen.

But he hadn't seen James. The boy seemed to have disappeared off the face of the planet. None of their family had mentioned it, though Rose had asked why James seemed to be avoiding his little brother. None of their family had mentioned Scorpius' condition either, so he could only assume- hope- that James and Lily hadn't said anything about it. Three days passed and he was beginning to get frustrated. Yuna and Riley had suggested James just needed some time to calm down, give him a little room and maybe he'll be ready to approach the subject. Scorpius said he should be thankful that his brother hadn't brought it up yet. He had seen Lily, who had very awkwardly told him that she didn't care if their parents were okay with it, before running away. They hadn't spoken of it since. He didn't see Fred or Seamus around much, and Rose admitted that they had been trying to coax what was wrong out of him, with little success.

He jumped a meter into the air when hands slammed down on his shoulders, Riley and Rose giggling from across the table, Yuna biting her lip to stop herself from laughing. He turned, wondering exactly what could make his friends laugh, hoping it was Scorpius and Phil because he was getting tired of waiting for them.

"Oh," Albus said, eyes widening slightly. "Hi."

Grey eyes glared down at him. "Go talk to your brother. Like, right this second."

Albus swallowed a lump in his throat, unsure if he should laugh or not. Standing in front of him was a very, very furry version of Scorpius. It screamed James' handiwork, and the yellow sparks that were flittering through the grey eyes advised the bespectacled boy not to laugh. "What happened?"

"What happened?" he growled. "What happened is I got accosted by your brother and his little friends! This, this is supposed to be funny?" he snapped, head shooting up and turning his eyes towards the other three who were sat at the table. Rose and Yuna straightened their faces, shaking their heads grimly, however Riley flung his head back and laughed louder. "I'm glad I'm so amusing, Thomas."

"Merlin, I'm so sorry," Riley said as he tried to calm down, shaking his head. "You just, oh, you got to love the irony."

"I don't," Scorpius said, turning back to Albus, who was still staring at him with a stunned expression. "Fix it. I'm going to see the Headmistress."

"What? Wait, no!" Albus leapt from his seat, grabbing onto Scorpius arm and lowering his voice to a whisper, pulling the other close so they could speak quietly. "You can't, James- he'll get in so much trouble."

"Well, he should've bloody well thought about that before he did this, shouldn't he?" the blond snapped, scowling through fur. "You need to sort it out, before he goes declaring it to the whole school."

"He wouldn't."

Scorpius snatched his arm away, letting out one last growl. "Don't be so sure."

And like that, he was gone.

Albus turned back to the other three, who were sat round the table, now looking slightly guilty for laughing. He sighed, sitting down and putting his head in his hands with a groan. "Now I have to find James, my gosh this is so annoying."

"We can help you find him," Yuna said softly. "Do you know where he's likely to be?"

Green eyes turned to the redhead. "No, but Rosie might."

The Weasley girl flustered slightly. "And why do you assume that?"

"Because he's not avoiding you."

Sighing, the girl nodded her head. "I suppose he might be in the common room, seeing as he knows you're here."

"That's where I'll go then," Albus muttered, shutting his book and putting it into his bag, standing and saying goodbye to his three friends. He shuffled out of the library and raced for the Gryffindor common room, stopping as he heard arguing. He frowned, turning back and walking down a corridor, pausing as he saw into an empty classroom, two familiar boys fighting inside. The taller redhead looked close to tears, while the shorter brunette was red in the face. There was another boy with his back to Albus, trying to keep the two apart. The bespectacled boy carefully walked towards the door, hiding and listening to what was going on.

"It's your fault that he was lured into that forest, Fred! If you hadn't been sleeping with the enemy-!"

"I said I was sorry, James, what else do you want?" Albus cringed, wondering if Scorpius had been the one to tell them. "And it still doesn't explain why you're so pissed off at Malfoy, or why you're avoiding your little brother!"

"I already told you, it's none of your business!"

"I think both of you need to calm down before someone hears you and comes to see what's going on. Anyone heading to the common room could hear you, including Al, which wouldn't help you in trying to avoid him, James," floated the wise words of Seamus.

"I don't give a shit! I want to know what possessed Fred into sleeping with a harlot!"

"It's none of your business."

"Don't throw that in my face, asshole!"

"I can throw whatever I want in your face, jerkoff!"

Albus pushed off the wall, shaking his head and stepping into the classroom just as Seamus turned with his wand out, ready to cast a silencing charm no doubt. His eyes widened as he saw Albus, whose face was screwed up in grief, upset at hearing his cousins shout. "Stop it, both of you!" he pleaded. The colour vanished from James' face and Fred looked away in shame.

Seamus lowered his wand, stepping round Albus to leave. "Come on, Fred. Let's go."

"But Seamus-!"

The stern look given to him by the Irish boy made him rethink his words however, and he grudgingly followed the boy out, refusing to look at Albus. The two brothers stood in silence, James' face pulled into a frown, Albus suddenly very aware of his brother's anger.

It was James who spoke first.

"McGonagall called us to her office," he said slowly, eyes trained on the ground, deep in thought. "Me and Lily, she asked us if we understood what would happen if it was to get out Scorpius was a werewolf. That he'd have to leave school, and that he no longer had anywhere to go, 'cause his parents kicked him out. Lily said she remembered the howler they sent to our house," he paused. "We were asked not to tell anyone."

"Is this why you're avoiding me?" Albus asked slowly. "And changing Score into a furry-!" he sighed, trying to push down the frustration. He didn't know why he expected more from his brother. "You're an idiot."

"He's a fucking werewolf!" James snapped, losing his temper once again and gesturing towards the door, beyond where Scorpius was.

"James would you-!"

"No, I bloody well will not! Why on earth are mum and dad okay with this?"

"Because they understand, James! And I thought you would too!" Albus shouted back, feeling himself get slightly emotional. "You've just been waiting for an excuse to try get mum and dad to disapprove of us, I know you have, and you thought you finally found one! Well guess what? You're too late! Even Teddy knows!"

"Everyone knows then, do they?" James screamed back. "I can just go tell Fred then, 'cause he's feeling terrible about having Misha attack you! I'm sure he'll feel better to know that you'll happily put yourself in danger!"

"I'm not putting myself in danger!"

"That's why you went, isn't it? To stop her seeing what she saw?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because you're my little brother, you twat!" Albus cringed at that, feeling his heart sink painfully as James' eyes seemed to water. "Would you rather I didn't care? Don't go accusing me of trying to break you up with Malfoy just because I hate him, because I've been trying my damn best to accept the fact that you're so in love with him, even though I can't for the life of me figure out why!"

"But you've always been so accepting of werewolves…"

"You've never tried to date one!" James snapped, throwing his hands up in frustration. "You think it would make any difference if you were dating Riley and I found out he was a werewolf? No, it wouldn't. Because it's dangerous!" he glared. "And it's not like you can deny it after last night."

"That was my fault."

"You're trying to become an Animagus to spend full moons with him!"

Albus puffed his chest out, frowning. "I have become an Animagus. And I will spend the full moons with him. And I don't care what you say, or what he says, because I love him and it's my choice."

"Fine, be a dick, see if I care when he mauls you!" James snapped, huffing and pushing the boy to the side. "I'm out."

"James-!"

"No, I'm out."

The brunette swung the door open, storming down the corridor, Seamus and Fred joining him from either side. Seamus glanced at Albus, a sympathetic and worried look on his face, but he didn't stop. Instead he turned back to the front, leaving Albus' sight. Fred didn't spare him a glance, his head hung low. The only thing the boy had said to him since the incident had been that he didn't know where James was before running off. After five minutes of silence Albus set off again, heading back the way he'd come towards the library to join the others in studying again.

"Mr Potter!"

He looked up to see Madam Pomfrey beckoning him. He cringed.

"Come with me, Mr Potter. Your father wishes to see you."

"My father?" Albus asked, jogging to meet the woman who walked briskly in the direction of the headmistress' office. "My father's here?"

"And your mother," the nurse said with a nod. "They came as soon as we told them what happened," she gave him a stern look. "And I must say, they are not happy with the headmistress either."

Albus cursed and sped up.

When they finally arrived outside of the headmistress' office, Madam Pomfrey took Albus all the way up the stairs. He could hear his father as soon as the statue moved, however, and was very reluctant to follow the older woman up to the office. The sight was worse though. His mother was pacing back and forth, while his father had both hands on the headmistress' desk, speaking very loudly. Professor McGonagall sat as calm as ever, listening quietly to the boy she once taught, nodding on occasion. Ginny snapped her head to the entrance as the Madam and Albus stopped, her eyes welling with tears as she charged at the boy, clutching his shoulders and pulling him into her arms.

"Oh Ally," she cried, holding him tightly and kissing the crown of his head. "I'm so glad to see you're okay."

"Of course I am, mum," he murmured, hugging her back nonetheless. He glanced over her shoulder to see his father standing with a stony face, creases between his brows. He knew what was coming. And Harry knew this. "You didn't need to worry, not with Madam Pomfrey about."

The woman stepped back and slapped the boy across the face.

Albus stood in silence, eyes wide, staring off to the side. His cheek was stinging, and his glasses had come slightly askew. After a few moments of stunned silence, the two elder women staring on with sympathetic expressions, the man with a slightly surprised look, Albus straightened his glasses and looked at the floor.

"How dare you disobey your father to such a degree," the woman said in a low, quavering voice. "To do something to incredibly foolish and knowing that it would put you in such danger. You should have known to stay inside on the night of the moon."

"I'm sorry."

The woman snapped. "That's not good enough, is it?" she roared. "How could you be so stupid?"

She calmed however as Harry placed a hand on her shoulder, turning to face him and burying her head in his shoulder. He turned his attention to Albus, making the boy want to burst into tears at the pure disappointment he saw. "You told me you wouldn't become an Animagus."

"I'm sorry."

The group paused at the sound of more footsteps and whispered voices. They turned to look at the stairs, seeing a blond head and a dreamy face come into view, smart blue robes hanging on the feminine frame, eyes looking slightly distant. "Hello," she greeted. "It's nice to see you both again."

"Luna!" Ginny exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought it might be appropriate if Mr Malfoy's guardian were to join us," Minerva explained, nodding to the nurse. "Madam Pomfrey, thank you for your help. Would you like us to get Mr Malfoy, Professor Thomas?"

"No," Luna said lightly. "He's waiting outside. I asked him to stay there in case I needed him."

Madam Pomfrey nodded, leaving the room briskly. The headmistress gestured to the four chairs in front of her desk, face as composed as ever. Albus sat between his mother and the Professor, his father sitting next to Ginny. There were a few tense moments as Professor McGonagall offered round a drink, pouring one for herself and one Harry. She made herself comfortable, looking between the four in front of her, before turning to Harry.

"I believe you'd like to speak first, Harry?"

"Yes, I would," the man said, turning to look at his son. "I'd like to know exactly what happened."

Albus' face pulled into a grimace. It was going to come eventually, and he would rather tell it once than several times. "I saw Misha going into the forest," he murmured. "She turned, like she looked at me. So I went after her. I didn't realise she wanted to find Score," he looked up with McGonagall with a panicked look. "She knew he would be there. Why did she know he would be there?"

Luna placed a soft hand on his back. "It's okay, Albus. Continue telling us what happened."

"She said that I was as good as Score, if not better," he continued, looking back at the headmistress. "That she'd been using the room of requirement to talk to her father, that he'd told her there was dark magic in the forest or something, and she-!" he sucked in a breath, remembering the blinding pain for the millionth time since it had happened. "She used an unforgiveable."

"Oh, Ally," Ginny started, tears welling up in her eyes once again as she took her son's hand. "Oh, my poor baby…"

"Then Scorpius arrived," Albus continued, clutching his mother's hand. "And attacked Misha. Which is when I tried the transformation again."

Harry turned his attention from his son to the headmistress. "Why didn't you alert me that my son was doing such a dangerous thing?" he demanded. "That you were helping him?"

"I assumed that Mr Potter would be the one to tell you," she said simply. "And I had full confidence in your son's abilities as a wizard."

The man did not look satisfied, but remained quiet.

"Go on, Mr Potter. Continue your story," the headmistress said.

Albus licked his lips. "After that, Madam Pomfrey arrived, and I managed to restrain him in time for her to stun him. Then we took him back to the Shrieking Shack," he nodded. "That's all that happened. I don't know what happened to Misha."

"We sorted her out, don't worry," Professor McGonagall said. "She is currently at St Mungo's, recovering from her shock. The ministry will take her and decide what to do with her then," the old woman turned to Al. "You may be asked to speak there, it is a difficult matter as she is young, and the original target was a half-breed."

Harry stood, drinking the rest of his drink in one go, nodding at his old headmistress, his friend, and his son, laying a hand on his wife's shoulder. "I'll see you at home, sweetheart," he said softly. "I best get back to the ministry, see what I can do."

"You're too close to the subject, there's probably nothing…"

He smiled a grim smile. "Yes, but that doesn't mean I can't talk to people," he turned to Luna, looking rather business-like in a way that scared Albus slightly. "We won't be pressing charges to Scorpius, so you needn't worry about the complications. Thank you for your time."

Luna nodded, kind smile still on her face. "Thank you, Harry. I hope it all goes well."

As Harry left through the fireplace, Ginny turned to Luna, biting her lip. "I want to see Scorpius."

"Mum-!"

"Of course, Ginny," Luna chimed, standing and nodding to the headmistress. "I won't be a moment."

Albus looked up at his mother, who was smiling comfortingly at him, running a hand over the top of his head. He turned to look at McGonagall, who looked considerably more relaxed than she had when they had just arrived. Perhaps she thought with Harry gone things would relax slightly, even though it was Mrs Potter who had the temper. The three snapped their heads to the door as they heard footsteps approaching. Albus' eyes brightened as always at the look of the blond boy, and Ginny stood, rushing over to the boy.

"Are you okay, Scorpius?" she asked, putting her hands on the boy's shoulders.

The boy looked surprised, but nodded. "Yes, thank you for your concern."

"I'm glad to hear it," she said. "I'm sorry Albus put you in danger, sweetie. I hope you don't feel guilty about his stupidity."

"Mum!"

Scorpius smiled slightly, clearly amused. "I've been better," he admitted. "But I am fine. Slightly upset that Albus didn't tell me what he was doing."

The boy had the decency to look ashamed when everyone looked at him.

"But I'm glad," Scorpius said timidly. "That I'm not alone anymore."

A bright smile lit up the brunette's face, and green eyes met grey. "Really?"

"Really, Al," the boy said with a nod. "Even if I don't approve. Thank you."

Zzz

Fred was stood on the seventh floor, outside of the room of requirement, staring up at the large wall with a heavy heart. He couldn't help but blame himself. He didn't know everything that happened, but Misha had attacked Al, and that was all he needed to know. He couldn't help but feel- no, know that he must've done something to encourage that, or help her. He sighed, running a hand through his hair again. It needed cutting.

"Hey, you okay?"

He didn't need to turn and look. "Yeah, am good little bro."

Phil looked up at the wall, flustering slightly at the memory of when he used it. "It's not your fault."

The older boy raised a brow, turning his eyes to look at his brother. "What are you talking about?"

"You and Misha, and then Al. It's not your fault."

The two stood in silence for what seemed like forever.

"Thanks."

Phil patted the boy on the back, nodding. "It wouldn't hurt to apologise though."

Fred chuckled as his brother left, shaking his head. "Since when did you become the smart one?"

Zzz

Kivea: I'm not sure if that's all that needed to go in this chapter, but I'm running late on the update. I was on holiday last week, and hoped to have written a chapter while there, but I didn't, so I apologise.

R+R

Thanks,

Kivea R.

PREVIEW:

"I'm sorry, Al."

"It-its okay, Fred."

"No, it's not bloody okay, Fred, are you that sex-oriented that-?"

"Calm down, please; don't fight."