A/N: What's this? Yet ANOTHER Scorbus year that took months to finish? Oh, goodie.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: This entire fanfic doesn't strictly go by the "The Cursed Child" canon. It's all open to the reader's interpretation. So, Albus and Scorpius having a year's worth of detention, as well as the slight differences in how they are now behaving, you could go by The Cursed Child's reasons behind it, or your own interpretation.

Enjoy! And please leave feedback

Wednesday September 6th 2020:

"So, how are you feeling?" Albus asked, his head slouched to the side and his back forward to inspect his friend next to him under the pine tree more intently.

Scorpius' cheeks were heavily flushed a bright pink from the prior tears that had fallen, and his nose sniffled while his knees lowered from his chin. His concentration eventually inclined in Albus' direction with his grey eyes glistening. "Yeah," he sighed calmly.

"Good," Albus said. He pulled Scorpius closer to him with a firm arm secured around his shoulders. "Next time you feel like saying something and I'm not listening, just give me a good slap in the face."

Leaving Albus' tight but still consoling grasp, Scorpius asked, "Why the face? That seems a tad much. Is that just your Achilles' Heel?"

"Sure, why not," Albus said, smiling and leaning back against the tree.

"And I'm sorry too," Scorpius apologised. "When you tell me not to go to your relatives because you don't feel comfortable, I should've listened."

"I forgive you," Albus said, "but that was kind of my fault too because I should not have chosen who you should hang around with. At the same time though, I wouldn't recommend hanging around insensitive people like James or Rose."

Rather than adding his own input, or arguing against what he had said, the blond simply said, "Glad you forgive me."

Albus had been nagged on and on about "talking out your feelings'' rather than "bottling everything up" for as long as he could remember, but that all sounded absurd to him. Though, very recently when Scorpius called Albus out for how selfish he was being, Albus saw a side in his best and only friend he had never seen before. It startled him, but he deeply cherished his bravery to assert on how he was feeling. Because of that act of bravery, Albus promised him that they would talk everything out, especially for dealing with his grief. Now that they were, Albus silently believed that what adults have been lecturing him about for years was true, even though he hated to admit it.

"Alright, are you ready for this?" Albus asked abruptly, switching his body's position so he would be sitting to face the other fourteen-year-old.

Instead of questioning that impulsive motion, Scorpius grinned awkwardly and moved his body closer to Albus'. "Ready for what exactly?"

"I'm going to say something that you would never believe I would say."

"Okay," Scorpius said faintly. Deep down in his gut he was feeling apprehensive, but at the same time he was comforted by Albus' eager smile... unless that smile was an indicator that he was going mad of course.

The Potter purposely left a dramatic pause, and then eventually broke it. "This is the start of a good year."

The tangled up knots his gut seemed to construct detangled from Albus' comment, and instead, Scorpius blinked in silence — soaking up the unbelievable words in his head until they fully settled in acceptance — and he eventually snapped out of it.

"That is surprising," Scorpius admitted. "Especially since we have a year's worth of detention."

"Oh, yeah," Al murmured, embarrassed, "but that doesn't matter anyway. I'm going to make the best out of the year by hanging out with Hagrid, and learn even more about creatures. As for detention, as long as we're around less gits and I am with you, I am fine."

"Now you're talking!" Scorpius cheered, stretching his hand up in the air and slapping Albus' hand for an enthusiastic high-five.

"Hey!" said an anonymous voice. The two teens have never heard that voice before, especially around their closed off private place so close to the Whomping Willow. Nevertheless, standing at a fair distance away from them was a fellow Slytherin, but embedded on the breast-pocket of his school robes was a shining green prefect badge. "Name's Bert Macmillan. I'm a prefect," the elder teen claimed, needlessly showing off his badge. "Headmistress McGonagall told you not to wander off too far."

"I'm pretty sure she said as long as it's not off Hogwarts grounds," Albus corrected, pushing himself not to present his irritation and be polite.

"Yeah, I don't think you two are in the position to confirm this," Bert said sternly, but also as friendly as he could. "I'd say it's best to stay as close to the castle as possible.

"Actually, they don't," a more distinguishable student said, that being Cora Figel from Ravenclaw. "The rules were specifically to make sure they weren't going to Hogsmeade or getting into mischief. They don't have to go anywhere."

"But do you honestly think that the Headmistress would approve of them being this close to the Whomping Willow?" Bert disagreed.

"I have seen these two around here countless times," Cora defended. "Nothing dangerous ever occurs while they're here. Also, they are not off the main grounds."

"I still doubt it," the curly-haired teen said, studying his rebel housemates. "I'm going to address all of this to McGonagall to make sure."

Cora sighed as Bert Macmillan took his leave and faced the brunet and blond looking up at her. "No need to fret. If you two were really doing something wrong by sitting here all these years, then somebody would have gotten you into trouble a long time ago."

"Thanks, Cora. If only they were all like you," Albus complimented.

"Yeah. You were meant to be a prefect," Scorpius enthusiastically fleshed out.

The tall Ravenclaw scrunched up her long nose and said, "Most people around here say I'm a little too good, and that I don't give people a break."

"You're giving us a break," Scorpius pointed out.

Cora smirked, accompanied by a delicate chuckle. "You two just got lucky."

The three adolescents unanticipatedly heeded voices from not too far away, and saw that it was Dominique Weasley under restraint by two Gryffindor prefects — one of them being Roxanne Weasley — away from the Forbidden Forest for the thousandth time.

"Unlike her," Cora uttered, indifferent. She bid the unified duo goodbye and walked away, while they watched her strut off.

"Why do I have a hunch that she's going to rule the school someday?" Scorpius said.

"And everyone will bow to her will!" Albus dramatically enunciated, raising his arm high in the air as if acting in a play.

Scorpius laughed so much harder than he should have that he had to cling onto Albus' arm for balance, but then he soothed himself when Bert Macmillan approached them again with his head hung low from the shame he was feeling.

"Hey, guys. Professor McGonagall said it's alright. As long as you don't go any closer to the Whomping Willow," Bert stated, nodding his head and then quickly leaving again. It was short and straight to the point, but that's just how Albus and Scorpius liked it.

Albus grinned in contentment, and the warm, soft print of Scorpius' hand still lingered on his bare arm just beneath his short-sleeved shirt.

Scorpius perceived Albus staring fixedly at the hand settled on his arm, and that's when he comprehended that he should release it. "Oops, sorry."

"N-No no, that's okay. No big deal," Albus stammered. The brunet wasn't so certain why he reacted the way he did, but he did not wish to dwell on it just in case their situation became even more perplexing. All he knew for sure was that Scorpius Malfoy had the uttermost softest and delicate hands he had ever seen or felt.

They stayed seated in each other's company, not at all resenting their bottoms being coated from leavings of rain drops soaked within the grass and soil. Until the time of day reached evening and the sky blue was replaced with a dark blanket of stars, the two friends exchanged laughter and conversations, grateful that they didn't have to give up their favourite and safe spot.