Story Title/Link: Succumbing to the Madness

School and Theme: Durmstrang: The Library - Restricted Section

Main Prompt: [Emotion] Betrayal

Additional Prompts:

1-[Genre] Hurt/Comfort

2- [Song] A Better Son by Rilo Kiley

Year: 5

Wordcount: 2086


Succumbing to the Madness


"Come out, Rosie. I know you're there," Scorpius breathed.

He felt a considerable shift in the surrounding vicinity. He'd known for a time that Rose had been following him, but her tiring tirade was coming to an unexpected end. Scorpius wasn't surprised that she had; he'd been acting strange for weeks now and it was only natural that her curiosity got the best of her. However, something told him that she should've just kept her nose in her books and ignored that torturous call to invade his privacy especially since she was the one who helped find the Mirror of Erised.

There had been a nagging voice in the back of his mind egging him on for years. The voice was a degrading one, and it was something Scorpius struggled to ignore.

Scorpius calmly watched the empty space behind him through the mirror.

His reflection flickered in and out, but his eyes remained solely on the empty void.

Albus was the first to show himself. The shimmery fabric of his father's old invisibility cloak revealed two fragile and heart-stricken teenagers. Albus bagan to advance towards him with carefully calculated steps. His eyes glimmered in the candlelight, but that's not where Scorpius' attention landed. Behind him stood Rose; her eyes betrayed her, showing him her darkest fears that the mirror could not.

She was devastated.

Scorpius promised that he wouldn't seek the mirror out, but he couldn't help but be drawn to it. The gravitational pull was all too great a temptation. After weeks of rigorous restraint, he sought it out - oblivious to the answers he would receive from it. It was clear to him that Rose was in denial. Despite how much pain the mirror caused, there was one thing he was certain of and that was that his darkest fear would come to pass, and he'd become like his grandfather. The wizarding world saw its darkest days during the second war when Harry Potter, Albus' father, finally killed Lord Voldemort. Although unity now existed with the walls of Hogwarts, there were times when Scorpius would see students staring at him, almost judging him in a sense. Scorpius may be damned to the eternal pit of Hell just by association, but he would not dwell on the same plane as his ancestors, at least not his grandfather.

Scorpius wanted vengeance.

He would find some sort of closure.

"Scorpius-"

"You two shouldn't have come," he whispered, turning his back on them.

"Don't you turn your back on us," Albus bellowed,

In an instant, he lunged towards Scorpius, wrapping his long, slender fingers around his pale neck. His eyes shot open, completely terrified by how fast Albus was able to get to him. He struggled against the closing appendages; it was clear to him that Albus would not only enjoy torturing him in the same manner he had for weeks, but he would be entertained playing with him before his ultimate end. Scorpius continued to put up a fight. Fighting to pry Albus off of him, he turned to Rose and pleaded with her for help.

"Get him off of me," he croaked, taking desperate breaths of air as his throat slowly closed off. He could feel the heat of not having enough oxygen reaching his lungs burning in his throat. Why was Albus being so kind and not ending his life? Perhaps, it was the single ounce of human that still remained inside the fibres of his being that made him hesitant to end someone's life. He had felt so much pain during his time with the mirror that dying was the least of his worries.

"I'm not turning my back on you."

"Then, what are you trying to do?"

"Succumb to my darkest desire."

"You're more than this!"

He grunted as a dark storm of grey flashed in his eyes. Scorpius clawed at the impressive grip that his friend had on his throat before his hands finally released its hold. He fell to the ground, taking giant heaps of air. Looking up, he met the infuriated gaze of Albus.

Rose immediately moved to help him.

"Do not help him," Albus instructed, his eyes shooting daggers at her as she hesitated for a moment. "He's beyond help, beyond redemption. What his ancestors have done cannot be atoned for, yet he continues to torment himself with thoughts of becoming like them. It's a new era, Scorpius, but you're too blind to see it. This isn't a matter of welfare anymore. You can try to stop me, but I'm afraid it would be more than a waste of time. Step in and I won't hesitate to hex you."

Rose did not falter underneath his strong, unyielding gaze. A flash of worry swept over him. Other than that, she did not speak as she helped Scorpius on his feet.

"Why do you continue to torture yourself, you coward," Albus asked bitterly, turning to face the older boy. He had taken enough air to replenish his body. Slowly, he watched him stand, his back slightly hunched. The effects of his assault were immediately evident; Albus glowered at the sight of him, who had been on the ground before him as he tried to gather himself the best he could. Soon, he would have him back on the floor.

This time, for good.

He inhaled a large quantity of air before hissing, "I am not a coward."

"Then, why are you desperate to not become like your grandfather," Albus asked him, his voice cracking. "I've known you all my life, and we became brothers after your father married my aunt. I know you, and you're nothing like them, Scorpius."

"And, I'm just supposed to believe that," Scorpius laughed nervously. He shook his head," The mirror shows your darkest desire, and I've seen enough to know which path I'm going to take."

"You don't know that."

"Oh, but I do," Scorpius told him scornfully. "Take a look in the mirror for yourself."

"The mirror won't show me your deepest desires, Scorpius. It'll only show mine."

"Come stand in front of it," he spoke as if he were a mad man.

Albus strode over to the lifeless mirror with trepidation. A respectable surface shined in his eyes, but all Scorpius saw was an abomination. He may not know what Albus was seeing, but the impression was all the same. He imagined him holding the House Cup, being awarded a scholarship to a university in America, and him standing with his parents and grandparents as if the first and second war never happened. The last image was the most frightening one of all because it depicted a world without Voldemort. Scorpius knew that Albus and Rose never once associated him with the horrid things his grandfather did; his grandmother left him and welcomed his stepmother with open arms. Something told him that she knew his father loved her but couldn't succumb to the truth. If his father could find solace after everything their family did, then he could as well. However, some things are easier said than done.

Scorpius finally spoke.

"What do you see?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It matters," Scorpius drawled softly, enunciating each word carefully, "in the sense of knowing your darkest desires, Al. Now, tell me what you see."

Albus looked at the mirror, and again Scorpius was left to speculate.

"You have to know that none of this matters, Scor," Albus whispered. "This mirror shows us our deepest desire not our fears. There's absolutely no way that it showed you that you're going to end up like your grandfather. If anything, it would've shown you that you aspire to be nothing like him. It would've shown you being initiated into the Ministry or taking a seat at the congressional and advocating for equal rights. I know my aunt has been a huge influence on you, so I know you have some inkling and passion because of her. It's only natural for us to think the worst but you have to know that you have the ability to fight the desire."

"It'll always be there, Albus," Scorpius whispered. "There's no running away from it."

"We'll always be there to help you through the worst," Rose promised tearfully. She remained silent all this time that he almost forgot that she was there.

Scorpis turned to face the opaque expression of his friends. Carefully, he took in the condition of the once fragile boy he had the pleasure of knowing. Rose smiled at him and firm fondness swept over him. Despite the news that Albus had told him, Scorpius was fairly calm. Inside, he knew there was a burning fire that wanted nothing more to be unleashed. Desires were deadly, and he could finally see the all-consuming fire he hadn't seen before; the mirror was a drug and he was addicted.

"Do you promise," he asked them.

Rose nodded," Of course."

"That's what family is for," Albus added softly.

Scorpius broke down.

In an instant he hit the floor. He clenched his hands into fists and banged against the cold stone floor in which the mirror resided.

Scorpius was left with one solitary plan that could aid him in vanquishing such a daring and dangerous thought. They could destroy the mirror once and for all, breaking the powerful bond that it held over him and everyone who dared look into its face. He wondered if they would ever agree to do it, though. Scorpius wanted to make sure they remained safe, that they did not do anything that would risk their safety, much less their lives. Scorpius would not be able to bear it if he were to lose them; he had to take desperate and drastic measures to ensure their safety, but there was no guarantee that the mirror could be destroyed. The thought of harming another was more than enough to make him cringe and shed new tears. Scorpius had been a kind-hearted soul during his childhood; even if he was destined to follow the same path as his ancestors and do the bidding of some unrecognized entity, surely he would try to fight it, that he would find some sort of guilt in harming another? Was destiny so certain that he couldn't escape from turning into the vicious beast that he was fated to become? How long did he have before all the remaining human aspects hidden inside were taken? He did not know, but if he did not act fast she would never find out.

Scorpius brought his shaking hands to his tear stained face. Drying the sticky substance from his cheeks, he turned to gaze upon Albus who had been watching quietly from where he was. He may not be a man of many emotions or words, but deep down he felt something. He had felt pain; he had lost people dear to him. Just because he didn't express it didn't mean he could not feel.

"Is there any hope for me," he asked.

"If only you believe," Rose confirmed with a smile.

"I'm supposed to rely on belief?" Scorpius shook his head, drying the rest of his tears. "What good is belief when you have nothing at all?"

"You've just have to trust us," Rose whispered to him softly. "Trust that we'll take care of you Scorpius. Without that, then you truly have nothing at all."

Scorpius nodded slowly.

He stood up, his hands still clenched in tight fists. He considered the mirror for a moment before turning to face his friends.

"There is something I wish for you to do. As long as you hear me out I am willing to accept whatever decision you make. I will not press you any further afterwards."

"Whatever it is, we're here for you," Albus said, his eyes flashing with rare unpretentious truth and sensitivity that he never saw before.

"Help me destroy the mirror," he beseeched them. "I can't… I can't continue knowing that it exists."

"No one has been able to destroy it, Scor. So many have tried and became mad doing so."

"There has to be something we can do."

"As I said, there is nothing-"

"You are wrong," Scorpius chided. "There has to be something we can do."

"Scorpius, the best thing for you is to leave and to never return. Forget this night ever happened because there is nothing you can do that will change your fate."

This time, the voices didn't come from his friends.

It came from the mirror.