SPOV

"So that leaves my presents to you Al. I already left the shirt upstairs so here's the real gift." I finished, handing him the unboxed ring directly from my finger. Mercury Looked up curiously at the motion.

"Wow Scor. This is so cool!" Al shot politely, eyeing the ring with open curiosity. At first glance the gem appeared black but in truth it was more a ghostly grey-purple in the light. It was set in a gold band carved in the shape of an Ouroboros. He had no idea what he was looking at. Maybe none of the adults would either, i thought hopefully. Of course I had no such luck.

"Al I don't think you understand… thats a nightfyre crystal set in the ring." Hermione said more bewildered than excited. Well I suppose they are rarer than those first editions… I was hoping nobody would notice what it actually was. This wasn't good at all. I should have just given him the Dracorian Mail until we were in private, then I could have handed him the ring. That was so stupid of me.

"Whats that? I mean I've seen you wearing this thing everyday since I met you. Are you sure you want to give it to me?" Al asked, eyeing me carefully. Hyperion lifted his head sleepily to stare at the object in question. As if he might have known what it was...

"Of course I want you to have it. Its... not even real. I promise."

"Albus…" Hermione began. "Nightfyre crystals are grade-S untradable. You need special ICW licenses to even think about buying them… they really only exist in private collections, or are locked away in my department. There are rumored to be fewer than twelve perfect gems left in all the world."

Leave it to the minister of the Department of Mysteries to know about anything remotely suspect. It was stupid of me to have given the ring to Al in public. Stupid stupid stupid.

"Wow are they really that rare?"

"They focus and amplify innate magic, giving a wizard enormous magical strength. For a prodigy like you… this would be…" Hermione said hesitantly. "How did you get this?"

"Erm... as i said... its not real... I-"

"Nine to be precise mom." Hugo said, interrupting his mother as she continued to stare suspiciously at me. "The Valois own four. The last one to be found was sold at a private Draconis&Serenes auction seven years ago to one Draco Lucius Malfoy for six-hundred-forty-nine-tho—" He continued before I jumped the boy, closing my hand shut over his mouth.

"That can stay our little secret right? You frightening encyclopedia. Merlin's beard It was a private auction, how on earth did you find out what we paid for it?" I asked, hand firmly held over the boy's mouth. I don't think anybody heard him, but Hermione and Al were looking at me as though I had sprouted fur all over my body. Mercury and Hyperion tilted their heads curiously at the commotion.

"What did Hugo just say?" Al asked wide eyed. "How much Scor?" He finished, stepping closer. He was now only inches away from my face. Oh bugger.

"Has, nobody... ever taught you... how, how, how... how rude it is to ask that question?" I was much too obviously defensive in my attempt to shift their focus away from the ring. I could feel Al's breath on my face as he stared crossed armed at me.

"I said six-hundred-forty-nine-thousand—" Hugo started again before I smacked my hand back over the idiot's mouth. I swear he has some form of mental inability to filter his thoughts.

I caught Hermione whispering something into Harry's ear as his glass of cider nearly slipped from his grasp.

"Scorpius… are you quite sure you are allowed to give that away?" Hermione queried, stepping towards me to place her hand on my shoulder. 'I am not a child you insufferable witch' I thought shrugging her hand off me.

"I asked father and he seemed to like the symmetry of it. He said that it wasn't something to give away lightly but that it was my choice to do so. I mean Al has trouble with his magic sometimes right? So this should do amazingly to help him learn better control." I started.

"…"

"He could probably accomplish magic with this ring that far surpasses even his namesake's achievements." Everyone seemed to shift uncomfortably at my words. Where everyone had previously been whispering, now the room was as silent as a crypt. All that could be heard was the soft ticking of the ancestral Grandfather clock.

This was Al's family! They all knew his difficulties... So why were they acting so strange? I found my temper rising and noticed from the corner of my eye that Al's blue charm was now glowing more intensely as the color rose in my cheeks. At least it wasn't fading I thought sarcastically.

"Scorpius, I don't think that this is an appropriate gift. I would feel very strange about allowing Albus to accept it. The book was one thing, but this..." Harry shot replacing Hermione's hand on my shoulder. He had taken the ring from Albus and handed it back to me. Why do they insist on treating me like an imbecile. I was raised like a princeling, I knew the finer points of social maneuverings for Merlin's sake! Why were they so intent on treating me like their halfwit troll of a son James?

"I'm sorry Scorpius, but i wouldn't feel right accepting this either." Broke in Ginny Weasley. They were all looking at Al as though he were no longer the funny boy with easy smiles and a heart as big as the moon, but something dark or dangerous. I almost felt the need to pull him beneath my arm, as if he might need protection.

"Since I was powerful with wandless magic too, father bought me that years ago to help focus my energy. Even though its main use is to enhance a Warlocks destructive powers during times of war, it is much more effective at channeling energy through intent." most of the Weasleys stared on as though my point were still unclear... I forget sometimes that they're not all as smart as Rose, Louis or Hugo. "Um what I mean is. Although Al could probably blow up a large town, well, or maybe a small city, this will make it much harder for him to do it by accident. Albus is really a remarkable wizard. I thought he would make better use of it than me. Besides Albus can only learn so much from us—" I said gesturing from me to his aunt.

"—and i've already learned what I needed to from it, thats why I wouldn't mind if… Al?" I stopped when i'd realized the idiot was crying. The air around him had grown cold.

'I am not a freak.' I heard sadly in my head. 'He's the only one that never questions that… why do they look at me like i'm a monster?'… Were those Albus's thoughts? He wiped away the stray droplets and moved to hug me.

"Al. I'm sorry but you can't accept that. Nobody, especially not a boy your age should even think about carrying around something thats worth a small palace." Mrs. Potter whispered reproachfully, turning to me disapprovingly. There was no stereotypical Weasley reaction to the sum from those close enough to hear. Everyone was looking at Albus with strange expressions on their faces. It made me sick.

"Merlin's Beard! Its not about the blasted Money!" I yelled rather too angrily to be polite. "I'm sorry its just… Albus means a great deal to me, and Father said... " I managed to get out before Al interrupted again.

"I stole the Malfoy Family ring from the OOM and gave it back. Thats why Draco and Scor are acting like this Ok! Please don't make Draco give it back! You can punish me but I… " Al stopped, confused by what he had said. He looked as though the air had been knocked out of him. Why had he said anything? He would be in so much more trouble now. Nobody needed to know about the other ring...

Al's parent's grew dark at their son's confession.

'Everything will be okay in the morning you won't remember a thing' was that fathers voice just now?

"Albus Severus Potter we will talk about this later. Right now I think you should take Scorpius up to your room and help him pack his things. Including that ring." Harry said sternly as Albus began crying again.

"Harry maybe we should just let him…"

Slytherin's shouldn't cry this much. Aurora and Father would disapprove. In that moment I grew so enraged that Al's own family had made him cry with those horrid stares, that I couldn't restrain myself.

This was christmas and what Al had done for me was ten times more amazing! Why wouldn't they let me give him the stupid sodding ring! Where did these wretched fools get off?

"HOW DARE ANY OF YOU!" I spat venomously, forgetting my manners and much of my sense as I realized who I was yelling at. Half the glasses on the drinks table shattered or cracked loudly in response to my anger.

"Al just finished giving you the most amazing gifts I've ever seen! He spent months of his free time researching the spellwork for those presents. Pouring over old documents for hours in the library! Or tracking down ancient manuscripts!" I said waving at Teddy. "I am ashamed that all I could think to give Al was some thoughtlessly expensive trinket I had prayed could help out my friend! He disappeared nights for weeks on end working on these things because he loves you. Yet you treat him like he was some sort of... dark creature." I said not wanting to use the word Al hated so much. I managed to pull Al's hand into mine.

"WHAT AL DID FOR MY FATHER WAS THE MOST WONDERFUL THING I'VE EXPERIENCED IN MY LIFE AND I REFUSE TO ALLOW YOU TO PUNISH HIM FOR IT! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT IT WAS WRONG" I screamed directly up at the Harry Potter, watching dark clouds beginning to form in the air above us.

Thats odd, water doesn't even run through my tear ducts anymore. Why were my cheeks getting wet and my eyes blurry? I couldn't cry anymore… maybe... maybe it was raining…

"All my life I was told things about your family! The second I met Al, I couldn't believe the stories were about the same people! I've never met anyone as smart as him or brave enough to put up with the lot of you… and your... your FEAR!" I waved at the group of Weasley's.

"You may be his family but how dare any of you…" I stopped, suddenly feeling very faint.

'Ow that really hurts'… My vision was blurring. No... I was starting to actually see double. It took me a moment to realize that the air around Al and I had become so charged with magical energy, that jagged cords of electricity had started to arc around us. Each blade of grass stood erect like the barbed hairs on a spider.

He was using me! Al was draining my magic and he was about to unleash it combined with his own.

"AL STOP!" I said slipping the ring back onto his finger and pulling him into as tight a hug as i could.

"AL STOP! ITS OK, I'M SORRY I AM SO SORRY AL!"

The whirlwind of leaves that had begun to swirl around us, gradually died down and the clouds parted slowly, letting the winter sun pour through.

"I am so sorry Al. I didn't mean to. I promise I didn't mean to." I whispered to Al who was still crying softly. He felt so light in my hold.

"ALBUS!" Cried Lily as her green charm flickered momentarily.

"Get away from my brother you filthy snob he's not yours… " James screamed, reaching to part us. "Potter!".

"No wait!" cried Hermione. But it was too late.

I managed to reroute most of the shock back towards me when I heard the large 'crack' of electrical energy discharging into the open air and then the stinging bite of a thousand jellyfish.

I let go of Albus and fell to one knee at his feet. The whole world was spinning.

"Scorpius!" I heard. Was that Louis and Rose? Were they worried about me?

"Al? Are you ok?" I managed, screaming through the god awful ringing. Each word I uttered drove another lance of pain into my head. I couldn't tell what was happening.

"James, Albus!" called Ginny, mirroring her daughters anguished cries. She dropped her glass, rushing towards us before stopping midway in her tracks. They are afraid. The realization was so shocking that it had taken me another moments length to process why she stopped.

With no small measure of difficulty I finally was able to regain my footing. I managed a lopsided smile at the twit before he buried his face in my shoulder sobbing. So much sadness. So much leaking... It was obscene.

"Its ok Al! See we stopped it again! Nobody got hurt!… Well I'm not sure about me but I think i'll live. I am so sorry I shouldn't have said any of that. It wasn't my place and i'm sorry."

Al looked up at me with an expression so filled with gratitude that I had only ever seen it once before, last night on Father when Al had given him the Malfoy ring. Why did Al look like he was going to thank me? I had acted horribly—

"I said get away from my brother!" James screamed starting back towards us from where he'd been thrown.

"James calm down, give him a moment!" Said Harry trying to grab his son. Albus pulled his right arm out of our awkward embrace with fire and furry ablaze in his eyes. He merely extended the withdrawn appendage, holding his open palmed hand defiantly towards the sprinting mass that was his brother. There was a violent crashing sound as James collided with the invisible wall.

"He is ten times more my brother than you! Why do you all look at me like that? Why can't I just be Al!" he screamed closing his eyes in anger as tears continued to roll down his face. 'If I had a brother you would be him' I thought looking at Al standing defiantly against the winter grey sky, wind blowing softly through his dark chocolate hair.

"Why can't I just be Al?"

Mother actually left because of this. I was too frightening for her to deal with, so one day she called me a freak and left me alone with Father. I think Al really doesn't like that word.

Did Al really scare these people so much? His own family?

"Albus" Said Harry and Ginny looking at each other. "We're not afraid Al. See?" they said, approaching as closely as the barrier would allow. "We want you to know that we love—"

"Why are you such a freak!" Cried James half rising from the cold grass, there were tears in his eyes as well. He looked too sad for words. A broken, shattered thing. I could almost hear James whimpering: 'He's my brother'…

Now that i think about it, I'm sure it was that word that did it.

'freak!'

All the color from Al's eyes had vanished and for a second the light on Lily's green charm stopped glowing entirely. Thats when I heard it. A voice. The voice of Death and Fear.