A/N: Didn't keep you guys hanging for 2 years like last time, but still pretty dang close. I have had a lot of "adulting" going on in my life, so I haven't exactly been focused on writing as much. Also, in time of writing this final Hogwarts year for Albus and Scorpius, I have fallen in love myself, and I have been experiencing the ups and downs of it so far… so yeah xD

Year 7 will definitely be the most exciting to write for (and hopefully to read), so I sincerely hope this will be worth the wait for you all — stay tuned!

Thursday August 31st 2023:

A bouquet of pink flowers spurted from Albus' wand onto the gravestone in front of him and Scorpius. Engraved on this particular tombstone read:

ASTORIA MALFOY

BORN 15 FEBRUARY 1982

DIED 30 AUGUST 2019

Beloved by many. May she rest in everlasting peace.

It was a grey and gloomy morning, and the leftover dribbles of rain soaked into the grass and soil drenched the teen's shoes from standing in place for nearly an hour. Albus was conscious of his damp socks under his shoes, but he paid no mind to it; his main concern was Scorpius. Scorpius especially paid no mind because of the distractions of having a one-sided conversation with his passed on mother.

Over the years, Albus was aware of Scorpius' continuous improvement with his grief. Naturally, he was still heartbroken, but just like at this very moment, he would still take the time to smile and make some jokes.

"It's good talking to you again, Mum," Scorpius said, his hand gently brushing against the carving of her name. "I know you can't talk back, and that's okay. It's my last year of Hogwarts, and I wish you were here to see it.

Scorpius went quiet, conceptualising the scenarios of his mother being there at platform nine and three-quarters to watch him depart on the Hogwarts Express one last time, and then returning to her, officially a graduated wizard. He got lost in his own thoughts until reality sunk in, and he was noticeably disheartened.

"Just wait until you see him next." Albus stepped in, talking to the tombstone. "He will be one of the greatest wizards of all time."

"I wouldn't say that," Scorpius said sheepishly, "but, I will try my best, Mum."

They both focused on the grave for a while longer in silence.

"Albus, you promise I won't lose you?"

Albus scoffed. "Sorry, but fancy it or not, you are stuck with me."

"But, you have no way of promising you won't… die," Scorpius said, his voice cracking with the last terrible word he spoke.

Albus immediately felt guilty for scoffing before, not realising that Scorpius was referring to something so dark.

"Scorpius—"

Albus felt at a loss for knowing the right words to say that could fully reassure Scorpius, so all he could do was pull him in for a fierce hug. Scorpius held him back just as fierce, not wanting to let go. They stood there holding each other for a while, expressing the profound feelings they were experiencing through their embrace.

When they finally parted, both of them realised they nearly forgot about their surroundings, and felt cold again.

Scorpius wiped his nose with the sleeve of his suit jacket.

"Ready to get going to Diagon Alley now?" Albus asked.

Scorpius nodded slowly and was able to crack a smile. "Excited to be around so many people?"

"Oh, I can't wait," Albus said sarcastically.

XXX

Visiting Diagon Alley that day was just as Albus and Scorpius predicted; it was cramped and crowded with parents bustling from shop to shop, gathering their children's last-minute supplies, some complaining about prices.

While strolling down the cobbled street, both of the young adults were goggling over at different aspects of the alley. Albus was fixated on the owls and bats perched outside certain shops, while Scorpius was on everything. It felt like just yesterday when they were shopping for their first year supplies.

Albus was just glad that he and Scorpius already had their school supplies for the year. As much as he enjoyed the shops, he could not stand the crowds, and he knew that the day just before school would have been even worse. However, where Scorpius wanted them to go — Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes — he had no idea how the crowd would be in there. There was somewhere else Scorpius wanted to bring him, but it was a surprise. Surprise was not exactly Albus' thing, but he trusted Scorpius… enough.

Upon entering the Weasley Wizarding Wheezes shop, Albus' worst fears had been realised. A gaggle of adolescent customers were in all different directions from where they entered the shop, even along the multicolored staircase leading to the upper levels.

Scorpius didn't waste any time and started browsing.

Two of Albus' uncles may have run the shop, but it was never really a place of interest for him, mostly due to the crowds and noise. He also found most of the jokes to be pretty clichéd, and it wasn't his type of humour.

The place was colorful, brimming with nothing but fun items: Scorpius' happy place, and Albus' personal hell. If it weren't for the joy he got from seeing Scorpius enjoy himself so much, he probably would have wandered off or made up some excuse to leave.

Scorpius "oohed " and "aahed " at every little thing he came across, and he attracted a lot of attention. Some from his modest fanbase back at Hogwarts, some wondering why a Malfoy would even bother going to a place like this, but neither were as frequent as Ron and George encouraging their rich and enthusiastic customer to purchase as much as he desired.

Scorpius knew that Albus would not appreciate all of this attention and was most likely bored, so he tried to involve him in every single item he would encounter, just the two of them. He would share the Skiving Snackbox and Ton-Tongue toffee samples, shake his hand with the Electric Shock Shake, let them both fire off a pack of Silver Sparkling Snakes, and duel with Trick Wands.

As expected, Albus didn't find most of the items all that funny, but he couldn't deny that he had fun. How could he not from seeing Scorpius so happy?

They walked out of the shop with Scorpius holding a full shopping bag of items he purchased, to Ron and George's delight.

Scorpius bought himself and Albus an ice cream from Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, and they did some last minute shopping for what they still needed for their last year at Hogwarts.

"Ready for the last shop of the day?" Scorpius asked, exiting Flourish and Blotts with his backpack filled completely.

Albus avoided eye contact. "I-I don't know."

"Oh, come on. You should at least look."

Albus kept his gaze off of Scorpius. "No one will replace Gerald."

"I told you, it's not about replacing, it's about having extra company. About giving a critter a good home."

That last comment seemed to convince Albus; he couldn't bear the idea of sad, neglected critters. "Alright. Let's go."

"Yay!"

Scorpius latched onto Albus and guided him across the street to the Magical Menagerie.

A pungent smell and chattering noises of a wide variety of animals wafted through the entrance door as Albus and Scorpius walked in.

Alike of Scorpius at the Weasley Wizarding Wheezes shop, Albus was exploring every cage he possibly could and enjoying himself by bonding with the animals inside. Scorpius smiled warmly at him every time. If anything, he was finding Albus' reactions even cuter than the actual creatures.

Nevertheless, they ended up leaving the store without a new pet, which disappointed Scorpius, but not as much as the owner of the shop — wasting her time.

"I'm still not ready for a new pet," Albus said contritely as they exited the shop. "If I'm going to get a new pet, I want to give them the love they deserve and be in a better state of mind."

"That's fine. I just want to make sure you'll be okay," Scorpius said.

"I'll be fine, Scorp. No more Prophet drama, after all. Unless Skeeter is planning on coming back—"

"Bloody hell, don't jinx it," Scorpius pleaded, tightly clutching the strap of his bag.

"Not before I jinx her first."

"Hey, puns like that are my job."

Albus gave a coy smile. "Ehh, keeps you on your toes."

They both laughed.

When they gathered all of their things, the two young men took in the surroundings of Diagon Alley one last time, and then together, they Disapparated.

XXX

Scorpius stayed over at the Potter's for the rest of the day, and he was helping Albus pack his trunk. At some point during their packing, there was a knock at Albus' door.

"Hey, you two," Harry said, entering the bedroom with Lily excitedly bringing up the rear. "Since it is your last year of Hogwarts, I have something important I want all of you to try."

"All of us?" Albus asked, confused.

"Dad said I could try too!" Lily clarified gleefully.

"Follow me," Harry said.

Albus and Scorpius exchanged curious expressions. Judging from Lily's reaction, it wasn't going to be something bad despite Harry's subdued tone, but then again, she was excited about most things.

Lily, Albus, and Scorpius followed Harry up into the attic, and up there waiting was Ginny, appearing just as serious as Harry was. Alongside her was a sealed, rattling chest.

Albus and Scorpius became unnerved, and glancing over at Lily, it seemed she instantaneously was as well, despite her seemingly already knowing what they were getting into.

"What is that?" Albus asked.

"I think it's best to tell you two what you are about to do first," Harry said.

"Good idea," Ginny approved.

"We're going to teach all of you how to summon a Patronus," Harry said.

The teens stood frozen in place, feeling conflicting emotions.

"We know that it's a very advanced spell," Ginny noted, "and not all of you are bound to summon one, maybe even none of you, but we want you all to be as safe as possible."

Scorpius' heart melted. To be included in something like this felt so special — like he was one of their own.

"Inside this locked chest is a boggart. It will take the form of my own worst fear, which happens to be a dementor, and you will go at different times, so the boggart doesn't get too confused," Harry advised, striding over to the rattling chest.

"Harry, sir," Scorpius said, "if it is a boggart, wouldn't it take the form of our own fears?"

"Brilliant question, Scorpius," Harry said. Scorpius smiled goofily. "I'll be the closest observer, so make sure to keep your distance."

All three of the adolescents gulped and nodded.

Ginny and Harry taught the three as much as they could and demonstrated for them; they made it look so simple. The horse and stag Patronuses they summoned gracefully galloped along the room together, and that display seemed to lift all of their confidences, and Lily was blithely speculating all of her potential corporeal patronus forms out loud.

"So, who's ready?" Harry asked.

"Ooh! Can I try first?" Lily asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Okay, love, but remember, it's not as easy as it looks, and it is especially difficult to produce a corporeal Patronus," Harry said.

"I know, I know." Lily determinedly drew her wand and stood her ground.

Ginny hesitantly unlocked the lock on the chest, and the instant it opened, the room became cold and dark.

Lily was perfectly content seeing her parents facing off the dementors with the atmosphere around her changing, but something about actually confronting the dark hooded creature was something else entirely. She felt petrified, and suddenly alone.

"E-Expecto—"

The dementor menacingly loomed forward, drawing in a hollow, rattling breath.

"Expecto — Ex — Expecto Patronum !"

Lily aggressively forced her wand forward, but nothing came out. She repeated the spell incantation louder and louder until the dementor reached a grayish decayed hand towards her. She screamed and shielded her face.

"Riddikulus!" Ginny recited.

The cloaked figure transformed into a large fairy wielding a twinkling magic wand, and then Ginny locked it back into its concealed space.

That scene would have been something Lily found immensely amusing and delightful because of her love of fairies, but she was still shielding her face and was starting to cry.

"Lily," Harry said gently, "it's okay. Remember, it's not real."

Lily hesitantly uncovered her face and Albus approached her to place a hand on her back. She gasped, but then threw her arms around him, burying her face into his chest. Albus held her back as Scorpius tried his best to make her crack a smile.

"Here, this will help," Harry said, passing a bar of chocolate Lily's way.

When Lily finally recovered herself, she accepted the chocolate and instantly took a bite.

"Best to take a break for now and try again later. Remember, think of the happiest things you can possibly think of," Ginny said firmly, but gentle.

Lily nodded wordlessly.

"Are either of you ready to go next?" Harry asked the boys.

"I'll go," Scorpius said bravely.

The boggart was released yet again, and accompanied by the abrupt bitter cold feeling was the sound of a woman violently coughing, calling Scorpius' name. His mother was calling out to him in pain and desperation, but there was nothing he could do to help. He was alone — people were scared of him — he will never be held by his mother again. His vision was fading...

The next moment Scorpius was coherent, Harry was leaning down to his level on the floor, offering him some chocolate, and he gladly accepted. Albus and Lily were disconcertedly hovering over him.

After making sure Scorpius was okay, it was Albus' turn next.

The combination of the bitter temperature, the dementor's horrifying, unsettling appearance and rattling breath evoked Albus' memories of all the bullying he had to endure over the years, the fights he had with his father, with Scorpius, Rose not talking to him for so long, and Gerald's death. He was slowly losing the fight, but suddenly, he heard Scorpius' voice gently uttering his name. He thought of when they first met— how much fun they had — how often he could make him laugh.

"Expecto patronum!"

Unlike Lily and Scorpius before him, something occurred at the tip of Albus' wand; that something was a brief white vapor of light.

Everyone watched in astonishment.

"How did you do that?" Lily asked, her hands over her mouth.

Albus stood rooted to the spot, just as wonderstruck as everybody else in the room. He was still feeling weak from the negative memories overwhelming him beforehand. "I-I don't know how to explain it."

"You must have a really powerful happy memory!" Scorpius said, beaming.

Albus was unsure if the patronus was based on a specific memory, but all he knew for sure was that he was thinking of Scorpius.

The teens all tried again. Lily was still not capable of summoning anything and she was becoming more and more overwrought. On Scorpius' third attempt, he was able to produce a white vapor like Albus.

Albus stepped forward, facing down the dementor once more, concentrating more and more on a distinct memory so he would remember. He thought of the time he first met in Scorpius in that special compartment of the Hogwarts Express again, but there were also other great memories to choose from. With all of these different memories in his mind, he shouted "Expecto patronum!"

Another blinding flare of white light originated from his wand, but at this point, it grew bigger until it started to take on another form.

Everyone in the room gasped.

A dazzling, silver skeletal winged creature charged at the boggart, and then airily galloped over to its caster.

Albus was just as surprised as everyone else like before, but not for the same reason. The form his Patronus took was more shocking than the fact he was actually competent at mustering one…

Scorpius ogled the Patronus in awe. "Is that—"

"A thestral," Harry said, grinning fondly.

Albus received so much praise for his accomplishment, but he was not as enthusiastic. Scorpius was the first to notice.

"What's wrong? You should be proud!" Scorpius said.

"It's not that, I just don't understand… why a thestral?" Albus said.

"Well, why not?"

"I don't exactly like thestrals."

"What? But you love magical creatures."

"Doesn't mean I have to like all of them," Albus objected. "They're just so… creepy. They're associated with death after all."

"Thestrals are gentle creatures who get a bad reputation," Harry said.

"I know, I know," Albus said impatiently. He didn't bother telling anyone, but he did find himself being strangely comforted from his Patronus despite his fears. Surely there must have been a reason behind it.

"It's not fair," Lily complained, crestfallen. "Everyone here can summon some sort of Patronus, and I can't."

"It's a very advanced spell, sweetie," Ginny bolstered. "James can't summon one either."

"Still," Lily said, crossing her arms and frowning.

Scorpius didn't say it out loud, but he was just as envious as Lily, but for not producing a far stronger Patronus.

"Great job, all of you," Harry said.

Harry and Ginny left the attic relieved, with Lily standing by mumbling, "You mean two of us."

"Don't worry, Lil," Scorpius said. "I'm sure you can summon one in no time. Even if you don't, you're still a powerful witch no matter what."

"But a corporeal Patronus is so pretty," Lily said. "Have you two heard about the magic shows some Muggles perform?"

Albus and Scorpius were both stumped by the unforeseen change of subject.

"It would have been brilliant to show that skill off to a bunch of Muggles," Lily continued.

"Are you planning on running off to do magic shows on the road now?" Albus asked amusedly.

"No, I just thought it would be fun to try out eventually!" Lily said, her sour mood deviating back to her upbeat self.

"That actually sounds fun!" Scorpius encouraged.

"You can go with me!" Lily said.

Scorpius and Lily were now evenly matched in enthusiasm. Albus could swear he had never witnessed anything cuter amongst human beings, feeling like he was surrounded by two little kids passionately discussing their whacky, unfeasible hopes and dreams.

Scorpius draped his arm around Albus' shoulders. "You should join us." He glided his free hand in front of them, revealing to Albus a non-existent audience. "Albus Severus Potter: the creature tamer."

Albus smirked. "I do like the stage name, but no way would I perform in front of people like that. Also, we're not supposed to perform magic in front of Muggles."

"I'm sure we could get a license for it or something, since it's supposed to be a magic show," Lily said.

"I'm pretty sure that's not how it wo—"

"Oh, come off it. Think you're some sort of expert on stage magic?" Lily said.

Albus chuckled. "No."

Scorpius chanted, "Albus the creature tamer", repeatedly, making Albus only grin more.

"Anyway, suppose we should be heading back down," Scorpius said eventually.

Just before taking their first step descending down the steps of the attic ladder, Lily whispered to Albus, "How are you holding up?"

"About what?"

"You know…" Lily jerked her head in Scorpius' direction ahead of them.

Albus' movements became slower. "I'm fine. Just trying not to think about it. That's all I can do."

"You thought of him while summoning your Patronus, didn't you?" Albus paused, but Lily dismissed providing him a chance to speak anyway. "That's obviously a yes."

Lily smirked, but Albus refused to argue. On the subject of Patronuses, he was still craving to know… why was his Patronus a thestral out of all animals?

A/N: OK, so as of today when I'm finishing this up (Nov 13th 2021), I have discovered the major changes to the Cursed Child script on Broadway, with not only it being condensed down, but making Scorbus practically canon! Reducing most of the forced straight moments, Albus asking Scorpius if he is sure that Rose is who he wants to build a "love palace" with, with Scorpius responding, "Yes… isn't it?" Albus nervously telling Harry at the end that Scorpius will always be the most important person of his life, and Harry giving his approval.

Man, I was SO happy reading these Twitter threads that it inspired me to finish this fanfic even more! The play is coming here to Canada in May 2022, so consider me hyped!